1950 in New Zealand

1950 in New Zealand

Other years in New Zealand

1947 • 1948 • 1949 • 1950 (1950) • 1951 • 1952 • 1953

New Zealand entered into the Korean War - a total of 4,700 New Zealanders served in Korea. New Zealand also was involved in the Malayan Emergency.

The New Zealand Legislative Council was abolished.

The 1950 British Empire Games was held in Auckland.

Wool prices boomed, tripling during the year, due to U.S. stockpiling as a reaction to the Korean war. This was offset somewhat by increases in the prices of other (imported) commodities, but began the biggest economic boom of the 20th Century in New Zealand.^[1]

Population

• Estimated Population as of 31 December: 1,927,700^[2]
• Increase since 31 December 1949: 35,600 (1.88%)
• Males per 100 Females: 100.7

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - George VI
• Governor-General - Lieutenant-General The Lord Freyberg VC GCMG KCB KBE DSO^[3]

Government

The 29th New Zealand Parliament continued. In power was the newly elected National government under Sidney Holland.

• Speaker of the House - Robert McKeen then Mathew Oram
• Prime Minister - Sidney Holland
• Deputy Prime Minister - Keith Holyoake
• Minister of Finance - Sidney Holland
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Frederick Doidge
• Attorney-General - Thomas Clifton Webb

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Peter Fraser (Labour) until his death on 5 August, then vacant until January 1951.^[4]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - John Allum
• Mayor of Hamilton - Harold Caro
• Mayor of Wellington - William Appleton then Robert Macalister
• Mayor of Christchurch - Ernest Andrews then Robert M. Macfarlane
• Mayor of Dunedin - Donald Cameron then Leonard Morton Wright

Events

• 4 January: Start of the 4th British Empire Games in Auckland.

Arts and literature

See 1950 in art, 1950 in literature, Category:1950 books

Music

See: 1950 in music

Radio

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

See: Category:1950 film awards, 1950 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1950 films

Appointments and awards

See: New Zealand Order of Merit, Order of New Zealand

• Archbishop of New Zealand
• Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, see appointments to Diocese

Sport

Athletics

• George Bromley wins his third national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:55:07 in Napier.

Chess

• The 57th National Chess Championship was held in Auckland, and was won by P. Allerhand of Wellington (his second win).^[5]

Cricket

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Chamfer^[6]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Victory Globe^[7]

Thoroughbred racing

Rugby union

Category:Rugby union in New Zealand, Category:All Blacks

• Ranfurly Shield

Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

Soccer

• The Chatham Cup is won by Eden who beat Technical Old Boys 3—2 after extra time in the final.^[8]
• Provincial league champions:^[9]
  • Auckland: Eastern Suburbs AFC
  • Canterbury: Technical OB
  • Hawke's Bay: Watersiders
  • Nelson: Woodbourne
  • Otago: Northern AFC
  • South Canterbury: Northern Hearts
  • Southland: Brigadiers
  • Taranaki: City
  • Waikato: Claudelands Rovers
  • Wanganui: Wanganui Athletic
  • Wellington: Seatoun AFC

Births

• 3 January: Robert Oliver, road and track cyclist
• 5 January: Matt Robson, politician
• 26 February: Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1999–2008
• 6 April: Muriel Newman, politician
• 29 April: Paul Holmes, radio and television broadcaster
• 24 May: Allison Durbin, singer
• 13 June: Pete Hodgson, politician
• 17 June: Lee Tamahori, film director
• 24 June: David Aspin, wrestler
• 1 August: John Britten, engineer and inventor
• 12 August: Ken Shirley, politician
• 26 September: Andy Haden, rugby player
• 9 November: Parekura Horomia, politician
• 10 December: Simon Owen, golfer
• 13 December: Ruth Richardson, politician

• (in Hungary): George Baloghy, painter
• David Benson-Pope, politician
• Godwin Bradbeer, painter
• Alan Duff, writer
• Stephen Franks, politician and political commentator
• David Henderson, businessman
• Greg McGee, screenwriter and playwright
• John McKinnon, diplomat and public servant
• Judith Mayhew, lawyer and academic
• Stephen Parke, physicist
• Kura Te Waru Rewiri, painter

Deaths

• 14 July: Apirana Ngata, Māori politician and lawyer.
• 11 December: Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and computing pioneer.
• 12 December: Peter Fraser, 24th Prime Minister of New Zealand.

• William Twigg-Smith, painter.

References

See also

• List of years in New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand history
• History of New Zealand
• Military history of New Zealand
• Timeline of the New Zealand environment
• Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica

For world events and topics in 1950 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 1950